Health-related Quality of Life After Oropharyngeal Cancer Treatment

Background: Oropharyngeal cancer is a diagnosis which means a change in life and even after successful treatment a tremendous reduction in the quality of life. Aim of this study is to analyse the health-related quality of life in patients with oropharyngeal cancer dependent on different treatment options. Methods and Patients: Charts of 256 patients treated for oropharyngeal cancer between 1997 and 2007 were analysed in a retrospective study. Inclusion criteria for this study has been fulfilled by 98 patients, 82 of these completed the study. Therefore, standardised questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 und EORTC QLQ-H&N35) have been used and 2 groups were compared: patients with primary radiochemotherapy (pRCT) vs. patients treated by an operation and adjuvant radiation. Results: Most of the health-related quality of life domains in our patients were significantly reduced compared to the general population. There have been just very few significant differences in the quality of life domains in between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Health-related quality of life after treatment of oropharyngeal cancer is significantly compromised for these patients compared to the general population, but there have been no obvious differences depending on the compared treatment options. Only regarding the items physical and cognitive functioning patients after primary radiochemotherapy showed significantly better results and thus a better quality of life, despite the fact, that this group has a significantly advanced cancer stadium.